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Barbosa GG, Silva TL, de Oliveira APS, de Albuquerque Lima T, da Silva PM, de Santana CJC, Vieira JRC, de Sousa DR, Souza FAL, Pereira R, Zingali RB, Costa RMPB, Paiva PMG, Rodrigues GG, Castro MS, Napoleão TH. Cutaneous glands of the striped toad, Rhinella crucifer (Wied-Neuwied, 1821) (Amphibia: Bufonidae): Histological study and bioactivities of glandular secretions. Comp Biochem Physiol B Biochem Mol Biol 2024; 273:110983. [PMID: 38688407 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpb.2024.110983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the morphology of Rhinella crucifer cutaneous glands, as well as the protein/peptide profiles and bioactivities of body gland secretions (BGS) and parotoid macrogland secretions (PS). The parotoid as well as dorsal and ventral skin fragments of male and female individuals were processed for histological analysis. The protein and peptide profiles of male and female gland secretions were evaluated. Male secretions were also assessed for proteolytic, trypsin inhibiting, hemagglutinating, hemolytic, antimicrobial, and anticoagulant activities. The R. crucifer skin structure presented protuberances that are clearly visible and formed by the integument, which has cutaneous glands throughout the body. An average of 438 and 333 glands were identified in males in females, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the distribution of glands across the body as well as for area and perimeter of glands. Differences were observed in protein composition between the PS and BGS from males and females, and secretions from animals collected from undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed areas. Proteins with similarities to catalase and elongation factor 1-alpha were detected in the PS. Zymography revealed proteolytic activity in both male BGS and PS. Male BGS showed antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli and anticoagulant activity, being able to prolong prothrombin time by 6.34-fold and activated partial thromboplastin time by 2.17-fold. Finally, male PS and BGS caused a maximum hemolysis degree of 1.4%. The data showed that the cutaneous secretions of R. crucifer are potentially promising for biotechnological prospecting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Géssica Gomes Barbosa
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Tulíbia Laurindo Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Thâmarah de Albuquerque Lima
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Pollyanna Michelle da Silva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Carlos José Correia de Santana
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | | | - Dyeime Ribeiro de Sousa
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Francisco Assis Leite Souza
- Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Rafael Pereira
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Russolina Benedeta Zingali
- Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Patrícia Maria Guedes Paiva
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | | | - Mariana S Castro
- Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Thiago Henrique Napoleão
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
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2
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Rami M, Shafique M, Sarma SP. Structural, Functional, and Mutational Studies of a Potent Subtilisin Inhibitor from Budgett's Frog, Lepidobatrachus laevis. Biochemistry 2023; 62:2952-2969. [PMID: 37796763 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Subtilases play a significant role in microbial pathogen infections by degrading the host proteins. Subtilisin inhibitors are crucial in fighting against these harmful microorganisms. LL-TIL, from skin secretions of Lepidobatrachus laevis, is a cysteine-rich peptide belonging to the I8 family of inhibitors. Protease inhibitory assays demonstrated that LL-TIL acts as a slow-tight binding inhibitor of subtilisin Carlsberg and proteinase K with inhibition constants of 91 pM and 2.4 nM, respectively. The solution structures of LL-TIL and a mutant peptide reveal that they adopt a typical TIL-type fold with a canonical conformation of a reactive site loop (RSL). The structure of the LL-TIL-subtilisin complex and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provided an in-depth view of the structural basis of inhibition. NMR relaxation data and molecular dynamics simulations indicated a rigid conformation of RSL, which does not alter significantly upon subtilisin binding. The energy calculation for subtilisin inhibition predicted Ile31 as the highest contributor to the binding energy, which was confirmed experimentally by site-directed mutagenesis. A chimeric mutant of LL-TIL broadened the inhibitory profile and attenuated subtilisin inhibition by 2 orders of magnitude. These results provide a template to engineer more specific and potent TIL-type subtilisin inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihir Rami
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Mohd Shafique
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Siddhartha P Sarma
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
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3
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Chen Y, Xi X, Ma C, Zhou M, Chen X, Ye Z, Ge L, Wu Q, Chen T, Wang L, Kwok HF. Structure-Activity Relationship and Molecular Docking of a Kunitz-Like Trypsin Inhibitor, Kunitzin-AH, from the Skin Secretion of Amolops hainanensis. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13070966. [PMID: 34206897 PMCID: PMC8309051 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13070966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Kunitz-like trypsin inhibitors are one of the most noteworthy research objects owing to their significance in pharmacological studies, including anticarcinogenic activity, obesity regulation and anticoagulation. In the current study, a novel Kunitz-like trypsin inhibitor, Kunitzin-AH, was isolated from the skin secretion of Amolops hainanensis. The novel peptide displayed a modest trypsin inhibitory activity with the inhibitor constant (Ki) value of 1.18 ± 0.08 µM without inducing damage to healthy horse erythrocytes. Then, a series of shortened variants of Kunitzin-AH were designed by truncating a peptide loop and site mutation inside the loop to illustrate the structure–activity relationship of the trypsin inhibition function. Among the variants, a significant decrease was observed for the Cys-Cys loop domain, while the extension of an Arg at N-terminus (RCKAAFC) retained the inhibitory activity, indicating that the -RCK-motif is essential in forming the reactive domain for exerting the inhibitory activity. Furthermore, substitutions of Ala by hydrophobic or hydrophilic residues decreased the activity, indicating suitable steric hindrance provides convenience for the combination of trypsin. Additionally, the conformational simulation of the analogues processed with Chimera and Gromacs and further combination simulations between the peptides and trypsin conducted with HDOCK offered a potential opportunity for the natural trypsin inhibitory drug design. The truncated sequence, AH-798, may be a good replacement for the full-length peptide, and can be optimized via cyclization for further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Xinping Xi
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China
- Correspondence: (X.X.); (H.F.K.)
| | - Chengbang Ma
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Mei Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Xiaoling Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Zhuming Ye
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Lilin Ge
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; (L.G.); (Q.W.)
| | - Qinan Wu
- College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, China; (L.G.); (Q.W.)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL, UK; (Y.C.); (C.M.); (M.Z.); (X.C.); (Z.Y.); (T.C.); (L.W.)
| | - Hang Fai Kwok
- Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China
- Correspondence: (X.X.); (H.F.K.)
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A Novel Kunitzin-Like Trypsin Inhibitor Isolated from Defensive Skin Secretion of Odorrana versabilis. Biomolecules 2019; 9:biom9070254. [PMID: 31261722 PMCID: PMC6681348 DOI: 10.3390/biom9070254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Protease inhibitors that were identified from amphibian skin secretions with low molecular weights and potent inhibitory activity were thought to be potential candidates for novel peptide drugs. Here, a novel peptide with trypsin inhibitory activity was found in the skin secretion of the Chinese bamboo leaf odorous frog, Odorrana versabilis. Based on the sequence alignments of sequencing results, the novel peptide (ALKYPFRCKAAFC) was named as Kunitzin-OV. The synthetic replicate of Kunitzin-OV was subjected to a series of functional assays, and it exhibited a trypsin inhibitory activity with a Ki value of 3.042 µM, whereas, when Lys-9 at P1 position was substituted by Phe, trypsin inhibitory activity was undetected and the chymotrypsin inhibitory activity was optimized with a Ki value of 2.874 µM. However, its protease-binding loop was catabolized by trypsin during the trypsin cleavage test. In conclusion, Kunizin-OV is a novel peptide with trypsin inhibitory activity as a member of kunitzins, which is a non-typical Kunitz-like trypsin inhibitor with a highly conserved reactive site (K-A) and quite a short sequence.
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Zhu H, Ding X, Li W, Lu T, Ma C, Xi X, Wang L, Zhou M, Burden R, Chen T. Discovery of two skin-derived dermaseptins and design of a TAT-fusion analogue with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and low cytotoxicity on healthy cells. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5635. [PMID: 30258724 PMCID: PMC6151122 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Two novel peptides belonging to the dermaseptin family, namely DRS-CA-1 and DRS-DU-1, were encoded from cDNA libraries derived from the skin secretions of Phyllomedusa camba and Callimedusa (Phyllomedusa) duellmani. Both natural peptides are highly-conserved and exhibited high potency against wild-type Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria, yeast and antibiotic-resistant bacteria (MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) (MICs 4–8 µM) with no obvious hemolytic activity. Collectively these results suggest that both peptides may have potential as novel antibiotics. Additionally, DRS-DU-1 exhibited selective cytotoxicity to tumor cells. The truncated analogue, DP-1 and TAT-fused DP-1 (namely DP-2) were subsequently synthesised. It showed that DP-1 had low antimicrobial activity, no hemolytic and cytotoxicity to tumor cells. However, DP-2 possessed strong antimicrobial activity and the similar selective, no obvious hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity on normal human cells, but enhanced cytotoxicity to tumor cells of DRS-DU-1. These findings indicate that the N-terminus of the dermaseptins may contribute to their bioactivity, and that addition of the TAT peptide can improve biological activity. The results provide a new insight for designing novel peptide-based antimicrobial or anticancer agents with low hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haohao Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Xiyan Ding
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Li
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Tulin Lu
- School of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Chengbang Ma
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Xinping Xi
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Mei Zhou
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Roberta Burden
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Tianbao Chen
- School of Pharmacy, The Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
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6
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Li B, Lyu P, Xi X, Ge L, Mahadevappa R, Shaw C, Kwok HF. Triggering of cancer cell cycle arrest by a novel scorpion venom-derived peptide-Gonearrestide. J Cell Mol Med 2018; 22:4460-4473. [PMID: 29993185 PMCID: PMC6111814 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.13745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, a novel scorpion venom-derived peptide named Gonearrestide was identified in an in-house constructed scorpion venom library through a combination of high-throughput NGS transcriptome and MS/MS proteome platform. In total, 238 novel peptides were discovered from two scorpion species; and 22 peptides were selected for further study after a battery of functional prediction analysis. Following a series of bioinformatics analysis alongside with in vitro biological functional screenings, Gonearrestide was found to be a highly potent anticancer peptide which acts on a broad spectrum of human cancer cells while causing few if any observed cytotoxic effects on epithelial cells and erythrocytes. We further investigated the precise anticancer mechanism of Gonearrestide by focusing on its effects on the colorectal cancer cell line, HCT116. NGS RNA sequencing was employed to obtain full gene expression profiles in HCT116 cells, cultured in the presence and absence of Gonearrestide, to dissect signalling pathway differences. Taken together the in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo validation studies, it was proven that Gonearrestide could inhibit the growth of primary colon cancer cells and solid tumours by triggering cell cycle arrest in G1 phase through inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases 4 (CDK4) and up-regulate the expression of cell cycle regulators/inhibitors-cyclin D3, p27, and p21. Furthermore, prediction of signalling pathways and potential binding sites used by Gonearrestide are also presented in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Li
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, Macao
| | - Peng Lyu
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, Macao
| | - Xinping Xi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, Macao.,School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Lilin Ge
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, Macao.,School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Functional Substance of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Qixia District, Nanjing, China
| | | | - Chris Shaw
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Hang Fai Kwok
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, Macao
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Novel Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors from the skin secretion of the Splendid leaf frog, Cruziohyla calcarifer. EUPA OPEN PROTEOMICS 2017; 15:1-13. [PMID: 29900120 PMCID: PMC5965718 DOI: 10.1016/j.euprot.2017.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2016] [Revised: 01/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
18 novel Kazal proteins were identified in skin secretions of Cruziohyla calcarifer. CCKPs share the C-X(7)-C-X(6,7)-C-X(6,7)-Y-X(3)-C-X(2)-C-X(15-21)-C pattern. Trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activity was proposed for 5 types of CCKPs. CCKP-1 has trypsin inhibitory activity and molecular mass of [M+H]+ = 5926.43 Da.
Peptidase inhibitors have an important role controlling a variety of biological processes. Here, we employed a peptidomic approach including molecular cloning, tandem mass spectrometry and enzymatic assays to reveal 7 Kazal-type proteinase inhibitors (CCKPs) (18 variants) in the skin secretion of the unexplored frog, Cruziohyla calcarifer. All 18 proteins shared the Kazal pattern C-X(7)-C-X(6,7)-C-X(6,7)-Y-X(3)-C-X(2)-C-X(15-21)-C and 3 disulphide bridges. Based on structural comparative analysis, we deemed trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitory activity in CCKP-1, 4 and CCKP 2, 5, 7, respectively. These peptidase inhibitors presumably play a role to control the balance between other functional peptides produced in the amphibian skin secretions.
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Lin Y, Hang H, Chen T, Zhou M, Wang L, Shaw C. pLR-HL: A Novel Amphibian Bowman-Birk-type Trypsin Inhibitor from the Skin Secretion of the Broad-folded Frog, Hylarana latouchii. Chem Biol Drug Des 2015; 87:91-100. [PMID: 26228512 DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 07/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we report a novel heptadecapeptide (LIGGCWTKSIPPKPCLV) of the pLR/ranacyclin family, named pLR-HL, whose structure was deduced from its biosynthetic precursor-encoding cDNA cloned from the skin secretion-derived cDNA library of the broad-folded frog, Hylarana latouchii, by employing a 'shotgun' cloning technique. It contains a disulphide loop between Cys(5) and Cys(15) which is consistent with Bowman-Birk-type protease inhibitors. The primary structure of pLR-HL deduced from the cDNA sequence was confirmed by fractionating the skin secretion using reverse-phase HPLC and subsequent analysis using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and LC/MS/MS fragmentation sequencing. On the basis of the establishment of unequivocal amino acid sequence, a synthetic replicate was synthesized by solid-phase Fmoc chemistry, and it displayed a moderately potent trypsin inhibition with a Ki of 143 nm. The substitution of Lys-8 by Phe (Phe(8) -pLR-HL) resulted in abolition of trypsin inhibition but generation of modest inhibition on chymotrypsin with a Ki of 2.141 μm. Additionally, both the disulphide loops of pLR-HL and Phe(8) -pLR-HL were synthesized and tested. Both of the catalytic loops retained similar inhibitory potencies towards trypsin or chymotrypsin in comparison with the original intact molecules. Thus, the replacement of reactive site residues could alter the specificity of these protease inhibitors, while the canonical reactive loop alone can independently constitute biologically active moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Lin
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK.,Key Laboratory for Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Haiying Hang
- Key Laboratory for Protein and Peptide Pharmaceuticals, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK
| | - Chris Shaw
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT9 7BL, UK
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9
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Protease inhibitors from marine venomous animals and their counterparts in terrestrial venomous animals. Mar Drugs 2013; 11:2069-112. [PMID: 23771044 PMCID: PMC3721222 DOI: 10.3390/md11062069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2013] [Revised: 05/28/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The Kunitz-type protease inhibitors are the best-characterized family of serine protease inhibitors, probably due to their abundance in several organisms. These inhibitors consist of a chain of ~60 amino acid residues stabilized by three disulfide bridges, and was first observed in the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI)-like protease inhibitors, which strongly inhibit trypsin and chymotrypsin. In this review we present the protease inhibitors (PIs) described to date from marine venomous animals, such as from sea anemone extracts and Conus venom, as well as their counterparts in terrestrial venomous animals, such as snakes, scorpions, spiders, Anurans, and Hymenopterans. More emphasis was given to the Kunitz-type inhibitors, once they are found in all these organisms. Their biological sources, specificity against different proteases, and other molecular blanks (being also K+ channel blockers) are presented, followed by their molecular diversity. Whereas sea anemone, snakes and other venomous animals present mainly Kunitz-type inhibitors, PIs from Anurans present the major variety in structure length and number of Cys residues, with at least six distinguishable classes. A representative alignment of PIs from these venomous animals shows that, despite eventual differences in Cys assignment, the key-residues for the protease inhibitory activity in all of them occupy similar positions in primary sequence. The key-residues for the K+ channel blocking activity was also compared.
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10
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Wu Y, Wang L, Lin C, Lin Y, Zhou M, Chen L, Connolly B, Zhang Y, Chen T, Shaw C. Vasorelaxin: a novel arterial smooth muscle-relaxing eicosapeptide from the skin secretion of the Chinese piebald odorous frog (Odorrana schmackeri). PLoS One 2013; 8:e55739. [PMID: 23405205 PMCID: PMC3566010 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2012] [Accepted: 12/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The defensive skin secretions of amphibians are a rich resource for the discovery of novel, bioactive peptides. Here we report the identification of a novel vascular smooth muscle-relaxing peptide, named vasorelaxin, from the skin secretion of the Chinese piebald odorous frog, Odorrana schmackeri. Vasorelaxin consists of 20 amino acid residues, SRVVKCSGFRPGSPDSREFC, with a disulfide-bridge between Cys-6 and Cys-20. The structure of its biosynthetic precursor was deduced from cloned skin cDNA and consists of 67 amino acid residues encoding a single copy of vasorelaxin (vasorelaxin, accession number: HE860494). Synthetic vasorelaxin caused a profound relaxation of rat arterial smooth muscle with an EC50 of 6.76 nM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Wu
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Lei Wang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Chen Lin
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Yan Lin
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Mei Zhou
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Liang Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Brian Connolly
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Yingqi Zhang
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
- Tangshan Gongren Hospital, No.27, Wenhua Road, Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China
- * E-mail: (YZ); (CS)
| | - Tianbao Chen
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Shaw
- Natural Drug Discovery Group, School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (YZ); (CS)
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